Black Christmas
by TheAzureFox
Summary: It's the eve of Christmas and yet they're all spending it in the bloodbath that is the final battle instead of in their homes with their friends and family. It's not the time of joy but the time of blood and death instead. Created for Poirot Cafe's Christmas Eve Competition


DCMK

Black Christmas

By TheAzureFox

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><p>AN: Minor warning for language and perhaps the bloodbath that is the final battle.

My interpretation for Poirot Cafe's Themed Writing Competitions (this one being for the third competition of Christmas Eve). The story takes place merely hours away from Christmas but the characters will still refer to the day as Christmas merely because it is close enough to be considered so (assuming the battle is currently taking place at 11:30 P.M.)

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><p>"It's merry fuckin' Christmas! Why the hell are we <em>doin'<em> this kind of shit at this time of year?"

Conan ducked into an alleyway beside Heiji as bullets whizzed over their heads, ricocheting from bullet-proof panes and onto the earth just outside their hiding place. Men in black peeked their heads over concrete walls and shot into the battlefield as the FBI and police led a counter-attack. Sounds of gunshot and bomb explosions permeated the air as well as the overwhelming stench of sweat and blood. Conan grimaced at the black-clocked corpse beside him before pulling at the trigger. He glanced around the garbage dispenser they were hiding behind, ignoring the sweat that was pooling upon his body as he bit his lip.

The teenager beside them carefully loaded his own gun with more ammo before wiping at his forehead with a trembling hand. "It's the season of cheers," he grumbled. "And we're spending it fightin' the Black Organization rather than exchangin' presents with our folks at home!"

"Don't I know it," Conan shot into the darkness as his night vision goggles landed upon a suspicious figure. The unknown person quickly crumpled to the ground. "Ran's waiting for me, and I _promised _I would return."

Heiji gave his partner a soft smile. "You're coming back to her?"

"I'm coming back to her," he repeated quietly.

They both fired into the alleyway as a troop of organization members stalked their way. The men dove back but began firing after them. Conan ducked behind the garbage disposal and took a deep breath before he aimed at the opponent. Two men fell under his precise shots and the boy dispensed his empty cartridge before reloading it.

_"Shinichi!"_

A shriek and a bullet that pierced nearly one centimeter above Conan's head sent both boy and man into a panic as someone swooped down and fired into the direction opposite their own. Both partners rose their guns up to deal with the threat but were perplexed when the figure held up their hands in surrender.

"Who are you?" Conan demanded fiercely, irritated that he could not see their savior's face past his black mask. "And why did you save us just now?"

"Now, now, tantei-kun, I just saved your life and all you do is call me out as an organization member?" the figure carefully removed their mask to reveal a boyish grin and a glittering monocle. "Or do you not recognize this handsome face anymore?"

"Kaito Kuroba?" he observed the boy carefully before recognizing the single eyeglass. "No, I guess you're Kid now. So, why is the Moonlight Magician working with us if he's already claimed retirement?"

The thief leaned upon the brick wall and clutched at his arm, a relieved look slowly piercing his face. "Well, _I'm_ not involved, per sé, but my alter-ego was already placed on the attending roster."

Heiji peeped around the corner before giving Kaito a glare. "So you're attending this fiasco as Kuroba-kun?" he asked and the brown-haired magician nodded. "Why? I didn't think you'd so boldly dance into battle unless you were dressed in white."

"It's to ensure that I can get my Christmas Eve kiss!" he said cockily before his smirk dipped into a sober frown. "In all honesty, I really didn't want to get involved in this war after defeating my own organization but just last week, Nakamori-keibu got seriously injured and now Aoko's…Aoko's become involved in this business too. I didn't want her getting hurt so I joined up so I could help make sure she's safe. Her father would kill me if she ever got gravely injured."

"Then why are ya here if your chasin' after Aoko-chan?" Heiji asked softly.

Kaito flinched. "I…lost her. But not literally!" he added hurriedly as he noticed their sympathetic glances, "I lost her among all the police officers and FBI agents. She disappeared and I haven't been able to find her since."

"Oh," was all the brown-skinned man could reply. "I hope you find her again. In one piece, at least."

The phantom thief chuckled darkly. "I hope so too."

He crouched down beside them and fired his card gun up towards the roof. A sniper immediately fled from the scene but the thief didn't seem in the mood to chase him. Instead, he turned to the other two boys. Conan glanced up at him uneasily but gave a nod of approval. Kid smiled, adjusting his weapon to point out into the depths of night.

They launched themselves into the dark clearing, following Conan's lead as they spread out into a triangle formation. Conan readily shot at anything that moved, his hatred controlling his emotions as he pulled the trigger again and again. Bullets whizzed from the mechanism to spread out into the flesh of the organization members and the concrete walls of the supposedly abandoned warehouses. From beside him, Heiji grunted as he struggled to pull out more ammo from his pocket. Conan watched him for less than a millisecond before vaguely recognizing the black figure of a stranger. Reacting upon instinct, he dove forward to push Heiji to the ground.

"Ow, Kudo, what-!"

A bullet just barely shaved his head. Heiji froze in shock before Conan shot in retaliation, his bullets landing directly into the man's shoulder. The organization member growled and shot again, this time aiming for Conan. The boy barely had time to react before it tore at his clothing and scraped against his skin, ushering blood out of the freshly-made wound. He grimaced before glancing around. Upon seeing no more enemy units, he turned to Kaito.

"Can you keep a lookout for us?" he asked.

Without a word, the teenager nodded and ran towards a nearby building. With great expertise and flexibility, the former phantom thief scaled the walls of the warehouse. The boy perched on the edge of the roof, looked around, and quickly shot at an invisible enemy. He turned to Conan and gave a low whistle.

Heiji, having snapped out of his daze, looked upwards in alarm. "What does that mean?"

"We're safe," Conan murmured. "At least, I think that's what it means. But, just to be sure…"

The boy dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small chip nearly the size of a flash drive. He bent down to activate his shoes and tossed the object into the air. Seconds before it hit the ground, he kicked it. "Kid!" he warned.

Kaito caught the chip easily, gloved hands snatching it out of the air with practiced instinct. He stared at it curiously before grinning and placing it in his ear. He tapped the device and then moved an object closer to his mouth. "_Thank you, tantei-san._"

Conan pulled out the earpiece embedded in his own chip and grinned. "You're welcome. Now, do you see anything of importance around you?"

"_Nothing up here on the roofs, I'm afraid. It seems all too quiet from up here, I don't hear any gunshots_."

Conan's eyes widened as he realized that the night was, indeed, as soundless as Kaito claimed. It was almost eerie as he turned his head in every direction only to be met with more silence. The shrunken detective growled. "Did they retreat?"

"Or did they regroup somewhere else?" Heiji asked, talking into his own microphone. "And, if so, where?"

"_I don't know,_" Kaito responded quietly. "_Should I take a look around?"_

"Please," Conan glanced up at the boy. "But be careful."

"_What else am I gonna do? Be reckless and get my ass handed to me?_" he snickered as the detective beneath him glared. "_Fine, fine. I'll take a look around._"

Breaking into a run, the thief dashed away. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop until he vanished from sight. Conan watched his shape go before turning to the detective beside him. After a few seconds, he inquired; "What do we do now?"

Heiji grunted. "We wait for a report, I guess," he eyed the boy's arm suspiciously. "Did you get hurt tryin' to save me again, Kudo?"

The shrunken teenager inspected the wound with wide eyes, having already forgotten it was there. However, upon seeing the blood that stained his clothes, the pain rushed back instantly to him. He gingerly poked at the wound and flinched. "It's just a scratch."

"Just a scratch, my ass," the darker-skinned teen dug into his jacket pocket before pulling out a roll of cloth. "Here, wrap this around your wound."

"I don't need it."

"Sure ya don't," the boy pulled roughly at Conan's arm and wrapped the bandage around the wound. "You're lucky the bullet didn't dig into your skin that badly though. Could've been much worse."

He growled, reluctantly keeping his arm still. "Thank you," he muttered.

"What, a thank you from the famous Kudo Shinichi?" Heiji gasped mockingly. "The gods themselves must be praisin' me for my humble servitude to their mortal shinigami!"

"I'm not a death god, Heiji."

"No, but ya might as well be. You're a corpse magnet if I've ever seen one."

"…Shut up."

Heiji hummed contently as he tightened the bandage and clipped it together. Sighing, he returned to his feet and gave his companion a grin. "There! How does that feel?"

Conan inspected the material, tugging at it before dipping his head in approval. "Fine, I guess. It stings a little but it'll do okay for now."

"_Well, that's good. I wouldn't want my favorite detective getting wounded badly by some measly grunt. It'd ruin his detective reputation if he got killed before his prime._"

"Nice to know, Kid," Conan glanced up to see the thief standing back on the edge of the warehouse roof. "How's the situation up there?"

The thief's expression took a serious turn. "_There's a group heading near us,_" he reported calmly. "_I couldn't discern their features without getting shot at so I fled back here. And, since I'm dressed in black, it's impossible to tell whether they're part of the organization or part of the police_."

"If they shot at you that must mean they're part of the Black Organization," Heiji reasoned. "They most likely don't want any unknown alliances slipping through their security."

Conan nodded. "We need to approach this carefully. Let's go back into the alleyway and hide there for an ambush. Kid, we'll need you to keep playing spy. Where are they coming from now?"

"_Just north of your coordinates. They're merely thirty yards from here. I'd suggest you hide."_

"Roger."

Both boys ducked into the alleyway, guns put out in front of them. Breaths held in anticipation, they waited quietly. Conan absent-mindedly sent wary glances in Kid's direction as the thief stood above them, whispering into his microphone.

"_They're twenty yards away. Fifteen yards. Ten now,_" Conan could just barely pick up on the sounds of on-coming footsteps, "_They're five, now they're-Shit! They're already here!"_

Gunfire blasted into the night as Kid stepped back hastily, nearly falling over. The thief quickly recovered and dove away, a panicked look on his face. Conan looked up and swiftly dove into the clearing. He pulled the gun at the figures, finger almost tugging at the trigger had it not been for the sight of a blonde woman.

Evidently, the woman had recognized him as well. With a snarl, she turned to her group of companions and held out an arm. "Hold your fire!" she shouted. "The kid's with us!"

The crowd of people reluctantly withdrew their weapons in confusion. A girl with brown hair and blue eyes stepped warily forward, her gaze pinned upon Conan with suspicion. "Starling-san," she began quietly, as if afraid to speak up. "How do we know that he's not secretly a member of _them?_"

"Because, he's not just your average boy," Heiji stepped beside Conan and ruffled the boy's hair. "You've met him before, actually."

"Heiji-kun!" the girl exclaimed in surprise, her blue eyes switching to the dark-skinned teen. "Wait, what do you mean by 'you've met him before'? I don't think I've ever met someone as short as him before."

Conan flinched at the indirect insult.

"Well, he ain't just a kid, y'know," Heiji grinned and made a dramatic gesture to point at Conan. "He's Shinichi Kudo, great detective of the East!"

She paused, flustered at the sudden notion. "But…I've seen Shinichi! He's eighteen years old so he can't possibly be…," sudden realization dawned upon her face, "how is even that possible!?"

"Let me have the pleasure of explaining it to you, dear lady!"

Without warning, Kaito landed in front of the crowd with a grin. He took the girl's hand before any of the police could react and quickly kissed the top of it. "Ojou-sama, your white knight has finally come to you at last."

Conan nearly blanched at the thief's audacity before recognizing the girl he had spoken to. His eyes widened in realization as he briefly remembered who the police officer was.

Aoko frowned at the figure. "That's rather ironic, seeing how your draped in black this time," she scowled.

"Ah, forgive me," the boy stood up and bowed. "For the white knight has lost his armor in order to undertake a new task. A task in which he must become as black as night."

"You're such an idiot, Bakaito," she murmured softly before her voice grew annoyed. "You know I can't speak your stupid riddles. Now, can you tell me why Shinichi Kudo - a _teenager_ - is in the body of a child?"

He straightened up, grimacing. "Basically, he became a victim of the Organization's new poisonous drug. Originally, the poison was a prototype meant to lead one to immortality similar to Pandora. Of course, the initial stages were more to produce efficient yet untraceable death similar to cyanide poisoning while the latter developments were focused more on eternal life.

"However, the drug sometimes led to unpredictable side effects as a result. For example, one possible symptom could be turning an eighteen year old detective into an eight year old one. To sum it all up, Kudo was transformed by the organization in an attempt to destroy him. Thus, it is easy for one to rationalize why he is here in front of us under the pseudonym of Conan Edogawa."

Aoko glanced at the boy with a sad smile. "Then you want to destroy the organization too?" she guessed. "To take revenge and protect your loved ones, just like Kaito did for us?"

The shrunken detective nodded solemnly. "There's a girl back home and I…I've kept her waiting so long. I don't want to see her cry anymore but I can't return to her until I fulfill my mission. It's my fault she's suffered so much and I want to put an end to this so we can live happily ever after, as cliché as that is."

"I understand her feelings then. Kaito kept me waiting for so long before he finally brought down his own branch of the organization and told me everything. It was hard on us both, I was just so furious with him but…it's worth it. As long as you make it back to her in one piece, it'll be fine."

From beside Aoko, the blonde woman stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Cool Guy, but we must really stop the chitchat. The Black Organization is retreating and we must stop them now before they can escape again."

Conan and Heiji perked up. "Do you know where they are, Jodie-sensei?"

The woman nodded gravely. "There's a small warehouse just south of here. We were able to track its location thanks to a double agent but we don't know its exact coordinates. Does your thief friend know of such a building? Its painted black with a supposed line of gray on the roof."

"I think I know of such a place," Kaito nodded. "I saw it when I was scouting around. I could lead you to it, if you like?"

One of the officers scowled, staring suspiciously at the boy. "I don't know," he spoke loudly. "Who says we can trust a former criminal with anything?"

Aoko turned to him with a heated glare. "He's _not_ a criminal! Kaito only _stole_ so he could avenge his father and so he could protect everyone around him! He's a noble thief not some lousy lawbreaker!"

"If you say so, inspector," the man shot Kaito an aggressive look before he reluctantly let his gun slip to his side. "Don't say I told you so when he turns."

"Now, now, you don't need to worry about that!" Kaito released Aoko's hand and slipped past Conan. The boy watched him warily before flinching as the thief patted his head. "After all, if I step out of line this kid right here will be put me in my place! He may be small but he's got nifty gadgets that are just a pain in the ass for me."

Jodie stepped forward. "We need to hurry," she reminded them, a slight tone of desperation slipping into her voice. "Time is running out for us and the Black Organization may soon make their getaway."

Conan, Aoko, and Heiji all nodded their heads. Kaito gave them all a grin before he took off into the southern part of the maze of warehouses. Jodie and Conan watched him in shock for a moment before taking after him. The rest of the crowd followed, readily drawing their own assortment of guns.

They all stalked down the dark alleyways that carved into the night, each individual carefully winding around the corner with alert and wary looks.

Conan followed behind Kaito as he kept a constant lookout around him. He was so focused on his surroundings, he barely caught wind of Kaito's words.

"_So, tantei-san?" _the thief began carefully but with a hint of mischief. "_When this is all over, how about we all get together for a boy's night out? Y'know, with Hakuba, Heiji, and me_?"

"Depends on one thing," Conan muttered, earning himself a confused look from Jodie. He pointed at the microphone placed inside his ear and she nodded.

"_What's your condition, almighty one?_"

"No magic tricks," Conan heard a whine from the other end and continued. "I don't want my hair dyed in pink glitter nor do I need another festival of doves at my house."

"_But-!_"

"You wanted a boy's night, didn't you? Or would you prefer a fish party with the girls instead? I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige on a whole meal with seafood."

The phantom thief pulled around a corner and was met with gunshot. He immediately retreated backwards and signaled to them with a wave of his hand. Conan slowed down beside him, carefully peering around to count the number of enemies. He held up a hand and flashed the exact number to his group. _Five enemy units._

Kaito groaned as he held his card gun up. "You're too clever for your own good, tantei-san. Fine, I agree. I swear upon my glass monocle, or my top hat, or even my silky white cape. But for the love of Pandora, do not bring fish into the subject ever again! It gives me shudders just thinking about those finny, scaly _monsters_."

Conan smiled at his companion before shooting into the corridor as a man approached them. The man fell dead after the fourth bullet. Jodie, having heard the sound of the body hitting concrete, turned to her group and nodded. They all jumped forward and began to shoot into the darkness, each relying on their individual mechanisms of night vision as their bullets ripped through flesh and pounded against concrete.

Within seconds of finishing off the first group, another wave of Black Organization members jumped forward and unleashed their own surge of ammunition. Some of officers snarled as the projectiles pierced their skin, jumping into alleyways before fellow team-mates worked to repair whatever wounds they might have earned.

Jodie carefully winded her crew around the warehouses to secure a circle around the black warehouse the members were guarding. Conan followed behind her as they worked to pick off the few opponents who were scouting around the area. Kaito followed alongside them from above, the thief scaling the roofs so as to shoot at any potential snipers. When he was finished, he gave the shrunken detective a thumbs-up.

"_That should secure your safety from above. Don't get hurt now, or I'll haunt your grave_."

"It's the other way around," Conan said as he fired at two grunts. The pair retreated and he turned to a police officer to point at the figures. He nodded and they both pursued the grunts with quick footsteps. However, before they could reach them, a bomb went off and sent the detective hurling backwards. "Shit, I lost them!"

A new voice spoke up. "_Don't worry. They died in that explosion. Must've been in a panic or somethin'._"

"Who…?"

"_It's Heiji, ya idiot, or have ya forgotten me already?_"

Conan rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I can't forget my number one competitor."

He could hear a grin in the other detective's words. "_You better be keepin' a wary lookout, Kudo. I wouldn't want to see you in a wheelchair all bandaged up like Hakuba on boy's night out."_

"You were listening to all that?"

"_'Course. You can't keep me away from all your private conversations with the white dove, y'know._" A pause._ "Be careful out there, okay?"_

"You too."

"_I will_."

The shrunken detective pulled out of the alleyway with the police officer and the man gave him a nod before separating to join with another pod of law-enforcers. Conan didn't bother to watch him leave for too long before he dove into the next alleyway and glanced around him. Upon seeing no enemy associates lurking about, he slunk forward and prepared his gun for an ambush.

It never came.

Instead, Conan stepped out into the open and was met with the sight of police officers and FBI agents regarding the door of the black warehouse with pointed guns. Heiji greeted him with a relieved smile before turning to the doorway.

"We've finally made it," he breathed.

Conan nodded, eyes watching the door with disbelief and fascination. "Yes, we have. It's about time we pay for what they did to us all."

Kaito slipped down beside him, Aoko at his side. He hummed for a bit before staring at the door. "Well, since I'm already involved in this war, might as well finish it with two of my favorite detectives. Shinichi, will you do us the honor of opening the door?"

He turned to Jodie. The woman nodded slowly, giving her approval to do so. "We're as ready for this as you are."

The shrunken detective reached for the handle. "Then let's do this."

Conan pulled at the door, flinging it wide open. Bright light filtered his vision, temporarily blinding him before his eyes were able to recognize the stone staircase that descended into the ground. Without hesitation, he began to run down it, his sneakers pounding upon the structure. From behind him, he recognized the sound of people following. He stared forward into the light, his adrenaline surpassing his need for rest.

_Gin, Vodka, Anokata! We're coming for you!_

He paused at the bottom of the staircase, eyes locked upon the handle of yet and another door, and he pulled at it.

A familiar voice met his ears.

"Hello, Detective Kudo Shinichi."

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><p>(3820 words)<p>

My interpretation of not only Poirot Cafe's themed writing competition but of what might happen during the raid of the Black Organization.

So, some history of what happened before (in no organized order):

Before this whole event started, Kaitou Kid managed to succeed in bringing down his part of the organization and breaking Pandora first before going into retirement. Upon doing so, he told Aoko about who he was. She was mad but upon seeing the damage done by Kudo's Organization on her father, she became a police officer to help track them down. However, she was quickly promoted to inspector in Nakamori's place and, upon hearing that the Black Organzation had been discovered, she took up the whole police force to go and fight them. Kaito, having heard this but tired of his life as Kid, joined in as Kaito Kuroba.

Aoko also met Shinichi somewhat prior to Kid's takedown of his own organization. Most likely at another KID heist but instead of attending as Conan, and instead of Kaito dressing up as Shinichi, he actually appeared under his true form. Aoko was also under attendance for once and met with him and Heiji (who was going to cover for him should Ai's temporary pill stop working). Kaitou Kid came, attempted another robbery, but was ultimately put a stop to by Shinichi yet again.

Vermouth, having made a mistake in a previous operation merely two days before, was convinced by Conan and Jodie to reveal the whereabouts of the warehouse HQ. And since her mission required her to be gone for four days, no one in the organization realized she was missing and thus had no chance of moving or hiding evidence.

Heiji is involved because the Organization threatened not only Kazuha but whole his entire city as well through some sequence of events not mentioned here.

Hakuba and Akako aren't participating because Hakuba was gravely injured during the case dealing with Kaito's branch of the Black Organization and Akako went into hiding because she couldn't risk letting more people (dead or alive) see her use magic again.

No other FBI agents aside from Jodie are mentioned because I'm not that far into the anime/manga, and I only know of Jodie (though, since I've only seen her twice, I've probably butchered her personality a lot).

Ran also found out that Conan is Shinichi and informed of it merely one month prior (about the same time that Kaito took down his organization). Naturally, she was very upset that her best friend had _lied_ to her about everything (and she was just as upset at Heiji as she was at him). Hurt and outraged, she forced him out of her house and refused to speak to him. He retreated to Agasa's house and stayed there for a bit. However, he tried going back to Ran and found her house ransacked. Alarmed, he searched everywhere for the girl but found neither her nor Kogoro. However, upon exiting, he met with her and her dad and was relieved that she was unharmed. He showed her the damage (as she was too shocked by his exclamation of "it's _them_" to ignore him) and she began to understand his predicament and what he was so worried about. She eventually forgave him and wished for his return as Shinichi, to wish he promised he would fulfill once it was "all over" (as Ai had already developed a pill that might very well be the cure that he needed to stay as Shinichi forever).

The FBI, the police, and the great detectives of the East and West all gathered together and planned an attack on the warehouse, having only a timeframe of two days to do so. Their strategy was made and they launched the attack two nights later. Conan promised Ran he'd be back and then took off with Heiji to fight. They shot down a few enemies and then landed in the alleyway where this story starts…


End file.
